Leslie Bloss

Leslie BlossLeslie Bloss, the Republican candidate for state House, position 1 in Seattle's 36th Legislative District, has endorsed Democrat John Burbank now that the "top two" primary has ended her campaign. Bloss first reported the news in a comment on PolitickerWA.com.

This afternoon over the phone Bloss confirmed her endorsement of Burbank, mainly on the strength of three issues: keeping an elevated Alaska Way Viaduct, fixing Mercer Street and supporting Katie's Law.

"I think that Burbank is more in line with me, particularly wanting the Viaduct and the Mercer Street mess fixed. All those three things [including Katie's Law] are important to me."

John BurbankThe three candidates running to replace the retiring Democratic Rep. Helen Sommers in Seattle's 36th Legislative District, Republican Leslie Bloss and Democrats John Burbank and Reuven Carlyle, will meet tonight at 7 P.M. at the Nordic Heritage Museum in Ballard for a debate sponsored by the Municipal League Foundation.

On the Democratic side, where voting history suggests both Democrats will move beyond the "top two" primary, the race in the 36th has been one of the state's most heated. Fundraising numbers have been among the highest in the state and candidates joke that it is the only state-level legislative position that requires a foreign policy.

The stakes will continue to be high tonight with three weeks remaining until the Aug. 19 primary and each candidate looking to build momentum with a strong showing, and hoping to use tonight's debate as an opportunity to show voters what separates them from the field.

Yesterday while most of the political news in the state was focused on John McCain's visit, two new candidates for state Representative emerged. Mulick's Olympia Dispatch has the word on a couple of entries in Western Washington.

In Seattle's 36th, where Democrats Reuven Carlyle and John Burbank are engaged in a high profile battle for retiring Rep. Helen Sommers' seat, Republican Leslie Bloss has joined the fray. She is a former Boeing employee and a real estate agent, not to mention one of the very few Republicans in the 36th LD.

Then in Pierce County's 25th LD Fife City Councilman and Mayor Pro Tem Robert Cerqui, a Democrat, has filed to run for the seat of retiring Rep. Joyce McDonald (R-Puyallup). He joins Republican Bruce Dammeier and Progressive Laurence Pratt, both of Puyallup.